A citizens advisory committee has narrowed a list of 15 candidates seeking to become the first parish administrator in Jeff Davis Parish.

The committee ranked and recommended several potential applicants to the Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury during a special executive session on Monday.

“The ball is in the jury’s court now,” Police Jury President Steve Eastman said. “We are taking their recommendations and moving forward.”

The names of the applicants have not been released to the public.

The American Press filed a Freedom of Information request on Thursday for the list of applicants. The request was considered during a separate executive session on Monday.

“I would like to make a motion that the names of our applicants remain confidential until everything can be reviewed by our legal counsel after which he will respond to the American Press’ request for information on the applicants,” Police Juror Kori Myers said after police jurors returned from an executive session to consider the paper’s request.

Police Jury legal advisor Lance Person said the police jury must respond to the paper’s request by Tuesday.

Police jurors and members of the advisory committee also entered an hour-long executive session to consider the committee’s top recommendations for the position.

After returning to the open meeting, Police Juror Butch Lafarge motioned that the police jury accept the advisory committee’s recommendations and asked the police jury’s executive committee to begin negotiations for the administrator’s position.

The executive committee, which will include Police Juror Wayne Fruge, Eastman, Lafarge and Person, will begin salary and contract negotiations based on the top ranking applicants.

Eastman said the citizens’ advisory committee interviewed, ranked and narrowed the candidates down to the final top candidates to be considered.

He hopes a final decision will be made soon.

The eight-member committee was tasked with finding the parish’s first administrator who will supervise the police jury employees, direct and manage the day-to-day activities of the police jury and assist in establishing strategic direction, policies and procedures for the parish.

Eastman described the advisory committee as a grassroots committee who stepped up and worked tirelessly to advertise for the position, review resumes and interview applicants before making their final recommendations this week.

“Everybody on the jury felt we put these people in that position and we are going to take their recommendations,” he said.